FREMONT, Neb. — A voter-approved ban on hiring and renting property to illegal immigrants was suspended Tuesday by the Fremont City Council, two days before it was to take effect in the eastern Nebraska city.

Council members voted 8-0 to delay an ordinance that is being challenged by two federal lawsuits, saying the move will save the city money in its legal defense.

The council narrowly rejected the ban in 2008, prompting supporters to gather enough signatures for the ballot measure. Voters approved the ban last month, and it was to take effect Thursday.

The city faces lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

The ACLU expected to ask a federal judge today to temporarily block the ban from taking effect. After the vote, the group said it and the city plan to use the hearing to ask that the ordinance be blocked pending a final court resolution. The Associated Press